The Takeaway: Would Hamas complicate US plans for reset with Palestinians? Also: the back story on the spat between Israel and Jordan; Gulf post-COVID economic trends; Turkey’s Kurds; Egypt and Somalia; and more! Originals
Egypt sentences activist Sanaa Seif to 18 months in prison Seif, who had been in pretrial detention since June, was convicted Wednesday of spreading false news and misusing social media. Egypt
Ukraine rejects Iran's final report on downed passenger plane The Iranian government said last year's shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was the result of a human error. Iran
Palestinians receive first batch of vaccines through COVAX More than 60,000 doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines arrived in Ramallah on Wednesday. Palestine
Tillerson travels to Middle East to talk post-IS stability Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will travel to Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey next week. But veteran diplomats warn that US goals for Syria need to be scaled back. Egypt
What’s behind Sisi’s recent trip to Oman? While Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is calling on Tehran and Riyadh to cool their tensions, Egypt is strengthening its ties to Oman, which has become a stable and trustworthy ally. Saudi Arabia
Erdogan mobilizes children for propaganda war Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's choice to have small children read politically charged poetry and prayers in the parliament was a brazen embrace of religious nationalism. Turkey
France’s 'diplomatic signaling' on Syria A recent Paris meeting on chemical weapons signaled a French attempt to regain a diplomatic foothold in Syria, but also acknowledged Russia as the main arbiter of the Syrian crisis. Syria
Iranian female singers get boost from music idol Female vocalists at concerts re-emerge as a heated point of contention in Iran, as hard-liners continue to ban them from public performances. Iran
Rouhani says US lost 'golden opportunity’ for bilateral dialogue Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the United States has lost a golden opportunity for dialogue with Tehran. United States
Israel’s power show on northern border aimed at Hezbollah The visit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the northern border and the extensive paratrooper drill last week sends a clear message to Lebanon and Hezbollah: Israel is prepared for an attack. Israel
Will the Palestinian Authority dump the shekel? Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is taking steps toward complete disengagement from Israel, including examining replacing the Israeli shekel. Palestine
US maintains mystery about long-term intentions in Syria Remember that "border force" the US said it was, and then wasn't, forming in Syria? Apparently, it's already there. Iraq
Gaza businesses forced to close The economic and humanitarian crises in the Gaza Strip have left stores with no option but to shut down. Palestine
Has Israel opened the Lebanese front in its battle with Hamas? An assassination attempt in Sidon against a Hamas military leader appears to have been a pre-emptive Israeli strike warning his movement against attacking it from Lebanon. Palestine
Iraqi Sunni coalition falls apart as power struggle ensues As a united Sunni coalition has failed, Iraq's Sunni political forces have divided into several alliances, each hoping to win as many parliamentary seats as possible and occupy the position of "Sunni leadership" for the next four years. Iraq
